Hiring the Right People (and What Happens When You Don’t)

Why Hiring Feels So Hard (and What “Good to Great” Taught Me)

The Real Cost of Hiring the Wrong Person

What to Look For Instead

One of the Smartest Moves I’ve Made: Recruiting from My Own Community

Don’t Be Fooled: You’re Not “Being Nice” by Avoiding Hard Conversations

The Top Companies in the World? They Promote From Within.

What fitness business owners need to know about building the right team

One of the most common questions I get asked is:Who should I hire? When? And how do I know they’re the right fit?

This post won’t give you a magic shortcut. But it will help you avoid the biggest mistakes, especially if you’re feeling the staffing crunch like most of us are right now.

After reading Good to Great by Jim Collins, one message stuck with me:

Imagine your business is a bus. Each seat represents a role.

If you’ve got great people in the wrong roles? You’ll feel friction.

If you’ve got the wrong people on the bus at all? You’ll waste energy putting out fires.

In the book, a hiring team once asked:

Otherwise, you’re building a mediocre business from the inside out.

Let’s be honest: most of us keep someone too long not because we’re kind — but because we’re avoiding the stress of replacing them.

You tell yourself:

“It’s hard to find good people right now.”

“They’re not great, but they show up.”

“It’s better than doing it all myself.”

But here’s the truth:Keeping someone in the wrong role is stealing more than money — it’s stealing time.Theirs, yours, and the business’s.

If they’re not the right fit, you’re preventing them from finding their actual purpose.And you’re robbing your team of momentum and trust.

Sometimes, the right person won’t have all the qualifications yet — but they’ll have:

work ethic

coachability

alignment with your studio culture

and a genuine love for the community

If that’s the case? Support their development.Promote from within. Train slowly. Build loyalty.

Here’s a simple strategy that works:

Host technique or programming workshops for your members

Invite your experienced, curious lifters

Teach skills like loading progression, warm-up sequencing, or prehab routines

You’ll quickly see who:

shows up with energy

asks great questions

loves learning

That’s your potential pipeline.

They may not be ready now — but they could be your next amazing hire. And they already know your vibe, your clients, and your values.

If you’re keeping someone around because you feel bad letting them go, ask yourself:

Holding someone in the wrong role isn’t just bad for business. It’s unethical.Time is more valuable than money. And you’re delaying their growth by keeping them stuck.

It’s your job to build a culture where the right people thrive — and where the wrong people are gently released to go find what’s right for them.

According to Collins’ research, 90% of the top companies that achieved greatness in the last 100 years promoted from within.

Why?

Internal hires understand the culture

They’ve absorbed your systems by observation

They care about the outcomes

And they don’t require as much onboarding pressure

If you're always trying to slot in senior outsiders, it can create friction. They might know strategy — but they don’t know your people.